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A Spark in the Steel City

Columbus, Ohio, in the early 20th century—a crowded center of industry where steel mills expelled smoke and ambition. 

Gordon Battelle, entered this world in 1883, grew up enveloped in the family’s iron and steel business. Straight out of Yale, he worked in his father’s company, but his mind wandered beyond the factory floor. In Joplin, Missouri, he came across a mining operation that changed his viewpoint. Funding a lab to turn mining waste into valuable chemicals, Gordon saw science as a bridge to progress. At 37, he authored a will in 1920, vowing half his estate to a research institute dedicated to metallurgy. Fate, however, had other plans. In 1923, a routine appendectomy turned fatal, ending Gordon’s life at 40. His mother, Annie Maude Norton Battelle, carried the torch, leaving her fortune in 1925 to create a $3.7 million endowment—about $65 million today.

By 1925, the Battelle Memorial Institute was resurrected as a nonprofit, with the mission to advance science for society’s benefit. Four years later, in 1929, a modest lab rose on King Avenue, steps from The Ohio State University. With just 30 staff and a $71,000 budget, the institute dove into metallurgy, studying coal, iron, steel, and zinc. The Great Depression loomed, but Battelle’s focus on practical innovation kept it afloat, forging ties with Ohio State that would define its collaborative spirit.

Forged in the Fires of War

The 1930s were scant, with Battelle barely scraping by on alloy research for industry. Then came World War II, a crucible that reshaped its destiny. The U.S. government, racing to build the atomic bomb, tapped Battelle for the Manhattan Project. Its scientists wrestled with uranium, a mysterious metal, crafting components essential to the war effort. Beyond nuclear work, they engineered tougher tank armor and tinkered with wire recorders, laying the groundwork for audio tech. These efforts propelled Battelle onto the national stage.

One wartime discovery changed the world more quietly. A struggling inventor, Chester Carlson,(American physicist and inventor,) had a fierce idea for dry copying but faced dismissal everywhere. Battelle’s engineers took a chance, refining his concept into xerography. Their work birthed the Xerox Corporation, a new frontier in office equipment. This forward thinking—backing a lone inventor—showecased Battelle’s knack for spotting innovative individuals.

A Golden Age of Invention

After the war, Battelle rode a wave of prosperity. The 1950s saw labs sprout in Frankfurt and Geneva, spreading their influence across Europe. By 1965, it took the helm of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, its first federal lab, diving deeper into nuclear and environmental science. Battelle’s scientists crafted fuel rods for the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine, and lent their expertise to NASA’s space missions.

The institute’s reach extended into daily life. In 1955, it unveiled Snopake, a correction fluid that saved typists from despair. A decade later, in 1965, Battelle invented the Universal Product Code (UPC), the barcode that debuted in 1974 on a pack of Juicy Fruit gum in Troy, Ohio. This simple innovation reshaped retail forever. The 1970s brought more: cruise control for cars, techniques to prevent blood clots, and early digital sound research that helped birth the compact disc. Battelle was no longer just a lab but a force reshaping how people lived.

Not every chapter was flawless. Between 1969 and 1975, a lawsuit accused Battelle of drifting from its nonprofit roots, favoring profit over purpose. The $80 million settlement—worth nearly half a billion today—poured into Columbus, funding projects like Battelle Hall and a sprawling metro park. The ordeal was a wake-up call, sharpening Battelle’s focus on its founding ideals.

Navigating the Modern World

By the late 20th century, Battelle was a giant, with thousands of researchers and projects spanning the globe. Today, it oversees seven U.S. Department of Energy labs, from Brookhaven to Los Alamos, employs 29,500 people, and manages a $6.5 billion research budget. A nuclear lab in the U.K. underscores its global stature.

The 21st century has tested Battelle’s adaptability. In 2002, a digital voting system was built for elections, but it faltered, delaying results and drawing scrutiny. Yet, Battelle bounced back with breakthroughs that saved lives. Partnering with Ohio State, it developed a device in the 2010s that let a paralyzed man, Ian Burkhart, move his hand again by decoding brain signals—a glimpse of science fiction made real. When COVID-19 struck, Battelle leapt into action, rolling out rapid tests and a system to decontaminate N95 masks, easing the strain on healthcare workers.

The environment became a new frontier. Through its spinoff Revive Environmental, Battelle tackled “forever chemicals” with the PFAS Annihilator, a technology to cleanse water supplies. It also stewards the National Ecological Observatory Network, tracking ecosystems to predict environmental shifts. Battelle leads the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub in energy, pushing for a sustainable future. Closer to home, the “Stay in the Game!” program fights student absenteeism in Ohio, while a policy center at Ohio State shapes science’s role in governance.

In 2025, Battelle proved its mettle again, winning a DARPA competition with DART, a system that detects life-threatening injuries like hemorrhages in seconds. This victory showed Battelle’s ability to turn ideas into impact, as so many before it.

The Heart of Battelle

Battelle remains a nonprofit at its core, pouring profits back into research, education, and community good. It’s 3,200 direct employees and a 22,000-strong workforce, known as “Solvers,” that thrives on collaboration. Initiatives like the African American & Black Leadership Excellence group champion diversity, while STEM programs inspire the next generation. Four global businesses—Laboratory Management, National Security, Health and Life Sciences, and Energy, Environment, and Material Sciences—drive its mission, guided by a seasoned leadership team.

A Legacy That Endures

From a single lab in 1929 to 130 locations worldwide in 2025, Battelle’s 95-year saga is one of vision, grit, and transformation. Its fingerprints are everywhere: in the barcodes we scan, the medical devices that heal, the clean energy we dream of—Gordon Battelle’s dream—to use science for humanity’s good—lives on in every breakthrough. As Battelle faces the future, it carries a legacy of turning the impossible into reality, proving that a single spark can light up the world.

Key Milestones

YearEvent

1929 First lab opens in Columbus, focusing on metallurgy.

1940s: The Manhattan Project creates xerography, birthing Xerox.

1954: Develops fuel rods for USS Nautilus, the first nuclear submarine.

1965: Invented Universal Product Code (UPC), revolutionizing retail.

1970 Manages Pacific Northwest National Lab, expands globally.

2016 Restores hand movement for a paralyzed patient via neurotechnology.

2020 Delivers COVID-19 rapid tests, decontaminates N95 masks.

2025 Wins DARPA Triage Challenge with DART injury-detection system.

Sources

• Battelle Official Website and Archives
• Battelle 2023 Impact Report
• Science Serving Human Needs: A History of Battelle Memorial Institute (1978)
• Battelle Press Releases and Board Minutes